Mount Vernon Conference

The Mount Vernon Conference was a meeting of delegates from Virginia and Maryland held at Mount Vernon on March 21–28, 1785, to discuss navigational rights in the states' common waterways. On March 28, 1785, the group drew up a thirteen-point proposal to govern the rights of both states on the Potomac River, Pocomoke River, and Chesapeake Bay.^[1] Known as the Mount Vernon Compact^[2] and formally titled as the Compact of 1785,^[3][4] this agreement not only covered tidewater navigation but also extended to issues such as toll duties, commerce regulations, fishing rights, and debt collection. Ratified by the legislature of both states, the compact helped set a precedent for later meetings between states for discussions into areas of mutual concern.^[1]